Gallery: UFOs land in Ipswich?

UNUSUAL goings-on at schools in Ipswich are today still under investigation by pupils - after 'alien' spacecraft landed in their playgrounds.

Pupils at Castle Hill Infant and Junior schools, with the help of other local schools are all frantically trying to get to the bottom of the mystery, collating the data collected yesterday and gathering their results.

After discovering the extra terrestrial aircraft had crashed landed, pupils set about contacting the army to secure the site, police were called to tape of the area and the fire brigade were on hand to offer their expertise, hosing down the wreckage.

At the command centre, Castle Hill Infants and Primary School, literacy co-ordinator Madeleine Johnson explained the dramatic event was part of their Book Week.

“We are trying to encourage the children to read and write in as creative and exciting way as possible,” she said.

“It is going fantastically well, the children were absolutely stunned and amazed when we evacuated them and they realised what was on the school field.

“We had a man from the army here in his gas mask asking the children to stay back. They were all completely engaged in what was happening.

“The great thing has been seeing the children coming up with their own ideas about what they want to write, it has really inspired them and provoked their imaginations.”

All schools in the pyramid are taking part, including Dale Hall Primary School, Whitton Primary School, Thomas Wolsey School, Thurleston High School as well as Highfield Nursery School.

A similar exercise took place at Clifford Road primary on the other side of Ipswich last week.

Literacy co-ordinator Carly Gulliver said: “The project was aimed at stimulating the creative writing of the children, and it certainly seems to have achieved that.

“Everyone seemed to enjoy the day - some of the youngsters produced a newspaper, others brought out news bulletins.

“Having the involvement of the police in the project was also a great plus - it fired the children's imagination.”

At Castle Hill Infants children are writing their very own newspaper to keep their parents informed of developments throughout the week.

And every child will have a chance to write a contribution towards a book to be sold to parents at the end of the event.

Across the pyramid every pupil has designed and made their very own alien out of recycled materials and they will all be displayed at a special exhibition at the end of the week.